Sunday, October 18, 2009

Fascinating Report on Conservative Republicans

This report by the Democratic Corps is really fascinating. They conducted surveys and focus groups with conservative Republicans and Independents to find out what their attitudes are about President Obama, the media, and other things. The authors identified some beliefs held by conservative Republicans and described the pattern that sets them apart from other Americans.

The self-identifying conservative Republicans who make up the base of the Republican Party stand a world apart from the rest of America, according to focus groups conducted by Democracy Corps. These base Republican voters dislike Barack Obama to be sure – which is not very surprising as base Democrats had few positive things to say about George Bush – but these voters identify themselves as part of a ‘mocked’ minority with a set of shared beliefs and knowledge, and commitment to oppose Obama that sets them apart from the majority in the country. They believe Obama is ruthlessly advancing a ‘secret agenda’ to bankrupt the United States and dramatically expand government control to an extent nothing short of socialism. While these voters are disdainful of a Republican Party they view to have failed in its mission, they overwhelmingly view a successful Obama presidency as the destruction of this country’s founding principles and are committed to seeing the president fail.

Though the group that conducted the research works for the Democratic Party, the analysis seems even-handed. For instance, they report that they did not discover a racist theme among the conservative Republicans, but rather a kind of feeling that they didn't care about Obama's race, they just didn't trust him or like his beliefs.

The findings were broken into sections, for instance one section was titled Anger Toward Obama Driven by Doubt and Fear Over his Agenda and Methods. The self-identified conservative Republicans really believe that Obama has a secret agenda for undermining the founding principles of American tradition. The focus groups revealed that "they explicitly believe he is purposely and ruthlessly executing a hidden agenda to weaken and ultimately destroy the foundations of our country." He is seen as the puppet of an elite group of rich liberals who put him into power, and they believe he lies to exaggerate the threats to the country in order to get support for his policies. He uses the technique of telling people what they want to hear regardless of what is true, so they will accept his bizarre policies. This especially works on younger people who are attracted by ideas like "change" and "hope."

The conservative Republicans were concerned about the speed with which Obama has worked since going into office. "They believe Obama is pushing his agenda at record pace because he does not want the American people to know what he is doing. The decision to tackle so many major issues at once early in his term is born not out of necessity, but out of secrecy and political calculation. And the media is once again a key part of this strategy, refusing to expose information that might slow down his legislative march."

They were convinced that Obama is purposefully driving the country into debt so that people will become dependent on government and it will have total control over them. Constitutional rights will be easily eliminated, and people will be too weak to fight back. "Fear of government control is at the heart of virtually all of the concerns raised by these voters about Obama’s agenda, and it is literally a fear of two things – government and control. They see government as inefficient, ineffective, and corrupt and believe it preys on the middle class and ‘hard-working Americans.’ ... Even more concerning than the waste and corruption of government for these voters is the inexorable movement of government toward controlling an ever increasing share of our economic marketplace, as well as our individual lives."

The conservative Republicans involved in this study saw Obama's ultimate goal as transforming America into a socialist nation. "In their minds, this is the key to truly understanding the Obama presidency and what is happening in our country today. Everything goes back to government control and Obama (aided by Democrats in Congress and the liberal media) seeking to systematically strip away individual rights and insert government into every aspect of our daily lives." Corporate takeovers and bailouts give credence to this theory, and the idea that Obama's "policy czars" have unchecked control is part of this belief. But the real crown jewel is Obama's proposed changes to the health system, which is proof that he is trying to change the USA into a socialist country.

The report stresses what it calls a "shared identity" held by the conservative Republicans. As the authors say, "Democrats may joke that Republicans seem to live on a different planet sometimes, but in some important ways, these Republicans would happily agree." They feel that they are an oppressed minority that is constantly mocked by the media and by other Americans. "This creates an almost siege-like mentality, in which these conservative Republicans are always on the defensive, at all times looking for any slight against them and their beliefs and seeking to link it back to a broader effort rooted in the liberal media."

Of course these conservatives have special knowledge about what's really going on. They get this knowledge from Fox News, which is the only objective source of information. Liberals, it is well known, control all the other major media outlets. Sometimes the Republicans will watch another channel just to see how the liberals are distorting the truth; this shocking bias only reinforces their beliefs and conviction that Fox is "the truth teller."

Interestingly, the conservative Republicans held mixed opinions about Rush Limbaugh. Though his opinions are correct, his flamboyance and arrogance sometimes detract from the message. There is no such ambivalence though about Glenn Beck, who "received nothing short of adulation from these voters, particularly the women. They believe he embodies the best of conservative media – determination to unearth the stories the liberal media tries to bury, love of country, and refusal to be intimidated, even as the liberal media unleashes waves of attacks on his past and his credibility." Isn't this fascinating? These conservatives admired him for risking his life to stand up to the liberal powers -- they literally believe his life is in danger because of his commitment to telling the truth. They also took remarkable measures to make sure they and their families never missed his show.

This group feels that they are part of a movement that is building in the country. "The attacks they suffer for their values and the special knowledge they share as a result of their devotion to conservative media and active rejection of mainstream media are ultimately meaningless if it does not help defeat Obama and his hidden agenda. This is where the sense of collective purpose is greatest. They see a nascent movement building, still not fully realized or activated but with a growing number of people watching and listening, growing increasingly frustrated, and looking for ways to stop the growing threat they perceive." The tea parties were a big part of this identity; the report notes that focus group participants spoke in the first person when describing attendees of the tea parties, even if they themselves did not attend.

Though these respondents identified themselves as Republicans, they "see the Republican Party as ineffective and rudderless, controlled by a class of political professionals who have lost touch with not only the people but the conservative values that should guide them." They do not intend to leave the party but do not see it as having an effective strategy for defeating the Obama agenda. Generally these people agreed with the beliefs of George W. Bush and felt he was a good man, but they were embarrassed by his presidency and disappointed that he let government grow and get out of control. And, of course, the worst of it is that his weakness as President set the stage for the rise of Barack Obama.

So who did these conservatives see as the best spokesperson for their cause -- Gingrich? Huckabee? No, you guessed it already, they love Sarah Palin. "They see in her the uncompromising personal conviction and integrity that they admired in Bush, but with an authentic conservatism that reflects her personal background ... They disagree on her viability as a candidate for national office, but they do not disagree on her ability to lead. Some say she needs to get more experience or take on responsibilities that will burnish her credentials and reassure uncertain swing voters while others maintain she has nothing to prove and is already more experienced and qualified than the current incumbent ... The one point they all agree on is that Palin was a victim of an unprecedented smear campaign. Reflecting in many ways their feelings about themselves as a group, they say Palin was targeted by the liberal media like no other figure in modern history because they both feared her and hated her for her unwavering values and beliefs." Yeah, she's their girl, all right, a true victim.

30 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Andrea not anonSo true, I weep for Princess Sarah and the endless harassment. It has driven her into poverty and a life of shame. But enough about her- now me- I will be meeting Senator Franken this week. I will say "Hi" for all of you

Here's an article which points out why all of us, liberals and conservatives, should be concerned about Obama. Again, just because Bush did things we didn't like, that doesn't mean that Obama is going to do things that we do like.

Nat HentoffHerald Times ReporterOctober 17, 2009

"In the last weeks of the Bush-Cheney administration, FBI Director Robert Mueller and then-Attorney General Michael Mukasey rushed into law such unbounded expansions of the FBI's domestic surveillance powers that I was stunned. Years ago, I had often and critically reported on J. Edgar Hoover's ravenous invasions of Americans' personal privacy rights, including mine; but these new FBI guidelines, taking effect last Dec. 1, are unsparingly un-American.

As described by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an ever-watchful guardian of the Constitution, these Attorney General's Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations authorize the FBI - without going to a court - "to open investigative 'assessments' of any American without any factual predicate or suspicion.

Such 'assessments' allow the use of intrusive techniques to surreptitiously collect information on people suspected of no wrongdoing and no connection with any foreign entity. These inquiries may include the collection of information from online sources and commercial databases."The press has largely been uninterested in this suspension of the Bill of Rights - but we know a lot about David Letterman."

How do you mock a joke?---“Palin was a victim of an unprecedented smear campaign…Palin was targeted by the liberal media like no other figure in modern history because they both feared her and hated her for her unwavering values and beliefs.”

A true victim indeed.

Did you here about the time the liberal media held a gun to her head (off camera) and forced her to read from a cue card in front of her children:

Sarah Palin: “As for that VP talk all the time, I tell ya, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me; what is it exactly that the VP does everyday?”

“As for that VP talk all the time, I tell ya, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me; what is it exactly that the VP does everyday?”

There are many similar quotes from individuals who have actually served as VP. It's an ill-defined job.

Liberals are pathetic.

Their time is short. 2010 is a year away.

MLK's alma mater shows common sense:

"ATLANTA, Georgia (Oct. 18) -- An all-male college in Atlanta, Georgia, has banned the wearing of women's clothes, makeup, high heels and purses as part of a new crackdown on what the institution calls inappropriate attire.

No dress-wearing is part of a larger dress code launched this week that Morehouse College is calling its "Appropriate Attire Policy."

The ban on cross-dressing has brought national attention to the small historically African-American college.

The dress-wearing ban is aimed at a small part of the private college's 2,700-member student body, said Dr. William Bynum, vice president for Student Services.

"We are talking about five students who are living a gay lifestyle that is leading them to dress a way we do not expect in Morehouse men," he said.

There has been a positive response throughout the campus, he said.

Those breaking the policy will not be allowed to go to class unless they change. Chronic dress-code offenders could be suspended from the college.

Bynum said the policy comes from the vision of the college's president, who wants the institution to create leaders like notable graduates Martin Luther King Jr., actor Samuel Jackson and film director Spike Lee.

Senior Cameron Titus applauds the change.

"The policy is just saying that you have to show more respect in how you dress and there are things that are just not acceptable at Morehouse," Titus said. "We have a legacy that we are trying to uphold.""

Salon has published a fascinating report about Conservative Republicans' "research arm or the communications arm," AKA Fox "News." Here's a link to the Salon article: Fox News isn't even pretending anymore.

Here's my favorite excerpt:

"...The boldest innovator, however, has been Fox News. Since President Obama’s election, the cable news channel has dropped all but the barest pretense of objectivity. Billing itself as “fair and balanced,” Fox has turned itself into what White House communications director Anita Dunn recently called “the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party.”

Actually, that’s an extremely polite way of putting it. It’s closer to Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth.” Fox openly promotes “Tea Parties” and other political demonstrations; it portrays every perceived White House defeat, such as Chicago’s failure to secure the 2016 Olympic Games, as a victory for something called “Fox Nation.”

“Obama Triples Budget Deficit to $1.4 Trillion,” reads a typical headline on the Fox Web site. In reality, the Congressional Budget Office projected the fiscal 2009 deficit at $1.2 trillion before Obama took office. Media Matters for America has compiled an encyclopedic list of similar absurdities.

“Doublethink,” Orwell called it: the ability to “hold simultaneously two opinions which canceled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them.” So it is with “Fox Nation” and “fair and balanced.”

According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, “72 percent of self-identified FOX News viewers believe the health-care plan will give coverage to illegal immigrants, 79 percent of them say it will lead to a government takeover, 69 percent think that it will use taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions, and 75 percent believe that it will allow the government to make decisions about when to stop providing care for the elderly.”

"WASHINGTON (Oct. 19) - Pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow medical marijuana, prosecutors were told Monday in a new policy memo issued by the Justice Department."

Obama repents:

"There's nothing like a Friday evening news release to hide a Washington embarrassment. In last week's episode, President Obama's health appointees lifted their outrageous gag order against health insurers for the sin of informing their customers about how ObamaCare would affect their insurance.

In September, Humana Inc. sent a mailer to some 900,000 enrollees in its Medicare Advantage plans, the program that gives seniors a choice of private insurance options, warning that spending cuts would result in reduced benefits and some people losing their coverage. The Congressional Budget Office has said the same thing, but the Obama apparat went nuclear. At the behest of Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, Medicare's administrators menaced Humana with fines and regulatory punishments, and even told all insurers participating in Advantage to shut up too—or else.

In its Friday ruling, Medicare lifted the gag order. Insurers will be allowed to communicate with enrollees."

Obama doesn't need to create and kill children to cure disease:

"Scientists have developed a method that dramatically improves the efficiency of creating stem cells from human adult tissue without the use of embryonic cells.

The new technique, which uses three small drug-like chemicals, is 200 times more efficient and twice as fast as conventional methods for transforming adult human cells into stem cells.

The hope of most researchers in the stem cell field is that one day it will be possible to use stem cells, which possess the ability to develop into many other distinct cell types, such as nerve, heart, or lung cells, to repair damaged tissue from any number of diseases, from Type 1 diabetes to Parkinson's disease, as well as from injuries. The creation of induced pluripotent stem cells from adult cells sidesteps ethical concerns associated with the use of embryonic stem cells, and allows the generation of stem cells matched to a patient's own immune system, avoiding the problem of tissue rejection."

We need long term solutions to the long term problems of having too many uninsured Americans. Reducing the use of ERs by the uninsured for their health problems, which every one of us pays for, will most certainly reduce the deficit in the long run.

By the way...the reason most conservatives believe that abortions will be paid for under the new healthcare plan because they WILL be paid for. Here's an explanation of how that will occur. It's from the Susan B. Anthony group:

The Senate Finance Committee continued this week with the amendment process for the health care plan proposed by Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana). This bill is different from H.R. 3200, the House version of the bill, which includes both a public option and massive subsidizes for abortion through the phony “middle ground” Capps amendment. As it currently stands, the Baucus health care bill would also force taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion, by allowing federal funds to subsidize premiums on private plans that would cover elective abortion.

Although President Obama and his congressional allies have said time and time again that no federal funds will be used to cover abortion, pro-lifers on and off Capitol Hill have consistently challenged the President and his allies to then back up their promise with specific legislative language. Pro-life members of Congress, as well as pro-life activists across the country, have not been fooled by promises that the infamous Hyde amendment will apply to a national health care plan. Which it will not!

In an attempt to have specific language added to the Baucus Senate bill, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) offered two pro-life amendments which were considered by Senate Finance Committee this past Wednesday September 30th. The amendments, one which would have explicitly stated that no federal funds could go to subsidize premiums for plans that cover abortion, and the other which would have strengthened conscience protections, were both rejected by votes of 10-13.

Hatch’s first amendment would have explicitly stated that no federal monies could go to subsidize premiums for plans that cover abortion, unless the abortion was for rape, incest, or the life of the mother—concessions in-line with current federal law. The amendment was rejected in an almost pure party-line vote. Pro-abortion Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) was the only Republican to vote against the amendment and Sen. Conrad (D-N.D.) was the only Democrat to vote for it. Speaking against the amendment, Sen. Stabenow (D-Mich.) said that the amendment was “insulting” to women. Sen. Baucus added that the amendment was “discriminatory towards women” because it would force women to pay for abortions out of pocket, and would also ask women to anticipate future need for abortion coverage.

These excuses offered by Sen.’s Stabenow and Baucus do represent the majority of Americans, as is evidenced by several polls recently released. In a Susan B. Anthony List commissioned poll taken by Public Opinion Strategies, 55% of Americans said that, regardless of their view on abortion, they thought it would be wrong for government to pay for abortions. In a larger context, a Pew poll released just yesterday, October 1, 2009, found that support for legal abortion has declined by seven percentage points since 2008. Across all demographics, support for abortion is declining. This echoes the Gallup poll taken this past summer in which the majority of Americans declared themselves to be “pro-life.”

Hatch’s second, non-discrimination amendment, would defined the right of conscience for health care providers. The amendment protected doctors and nurses, hospitals, and health insurers in the case that they objected to providing, performing, paying for, or referring for abortions, based on their personal beliefs. The vote rejecting this amendment mirrored the previous vote, with the Sen.’s Snowe and Conrad again switching sides.

With the failure of the Senate to include these two amendments to the Baucus’ bill, Congress, the President, and health care allies have all essentially refused to put their money where their mouth is on the abortion mandate. While the representatives may have said one thing, their actions are completely different, and the votes speak for themselves. Without specific language banning federal dollars from going to abortions and protecting the consciences of individual citizens, health care reform will result in the largest expansion of abortions since Roe v. Wade.

The Vice-president is president of the Senate, breaks ties in that body when they exist, assumes the duties of the President in the case of his or her incapacity under very specific circumstances, and assumes the office of the President upon his or her resignation, impeachment, or death.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – For the first time since he took over in the White House, Americans don't see eye to eye with President Barack Obama on the important issues, according to a new national poll.

According to the poll, which was released Tuesday, 48 percent of people questioned say that they agree with Obama on the issues that matter most to them, with 51 percent saying no. That's a switch from April, when 57 percent said they agreed with the president on important issues, with 41 percent disagreeing.

It was inexcusable for ALL of them. The fact that Palin admitted to her ignorance---without qualification---on national media, shows a complete lack of political savvy on her part. Blaming it on the “media” only confirms that she and her supporters are that much more ignorant of the “gotcha” workings of modern media (assuming that she wasn’t the imbecile she came across as.

A vice president has a really great job, because not only are they there to support the president’s agenda, they’re like the team member, the teammate to that president. But also, they’re in charge of the united state’s senate, so if they want to, they can really get in there with the senators, and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom, and it’s a great job and I look forward to having that job.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but lobbyist is not one of the vice president’s job descriptions.---“This is similar to when Palin said she reads many different papers and the media's spin was that she couldn't name any papers she read.”

She didn’t say “many,” she said “all of them,” yet was unable to name a single one. Where’s the spin?

Sarah Palin Can't Name a Newspaper She Reads---If this woman is that out of touch with today’s politics, does not research the job she is about to undertake, and is incapable of answering simple, simple questions, then she is not qualified to run a day care center, let alone potentially ensure the safety of 300 million US citizens.

All of which reflects on John McCain’s abysmal lack of judgment in picking her as running mate.---Sociopathanon: “moron…lunatic…lunatics…”

Though the group that conducted the research works for the Democratic Party, the analysis seems even-handed.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps the only thing that made me laugh as hard was when I heard the announcement of this year's Nobel Peace Prize recipient (which no matter how hardened partisans of the Left try to spin it as "deserved", respected liberals know and will admit that it was not).

Jim, a group that does polling that is headed up in part by James Carville cannot, by definition, be "even handed". Yes, it "seems" so to you because you share their political opinions...no surprise there.

And Glen Beck? I have not heard or watched enough of him to conclude he is, or is not, an idiot. Still, from the little I've seen, I am not impressed.

Orin:You need to educate yourself a little more on who is the voice of your Republican party! Beck, along with Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, et.al are an embarassment to people of good will in this country. You seem to be fairly reasonable (even though I disagree with more than half of your stated views); I hope you abjure these people, simply because I am sure you would not want to be associated with their maniacal rants and raves.Diogenes

"Perhaps the only thing that made me laugh as hard was when I heard the announcement of this year's Nobel Peace Prize recipient (which no matter how hardened partisans of the Left try to spin it as "deserved", respected liberals know and will admit that it was not)."

Orin, you need to educate yourself on the relativity of the fourth dimension.

Obama deserved that award because we all know that his destiny is to be the greatest peacemaker of all time.

It doesn't matter when he does it!

"Beck, along with Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, et.al are an embarassment to people of good will in this country."

I haven't really seen enough of Beck to judge him. I'm not an avid follower of the rest although Limbaugh, while he doesn't inspire me, doesn't generally seem outrageous. Hannity and O'Reilly put on thought-provoking shows. I don't watch them alot but don't think they're embarassing at all. We actually should take some pride in the fact that our free enterprise system has produced enough media outlets that virtually all points of view may be represented.

What's embarassing is a Congress with the likes of Barney Frank, patron of homosexual prostitutes and destroyer of housing industries, and Al Franken, x-rated comedian and general ignorant loudmouth. Or Harry Reid, majority leader of the Senate, who doesn't even have the support of a third of his constituents in a slightly populated state.

That's not to mention a White House with a guy who didn't have a lot of experience coming in and has since demonstrated why. Of course, he's not as bad as embarassing as the last Democrat president, who couldn't keep his hands off a young female subordinate and who try to steal the White House china on the way out.